Business Notes for Dec. 10, 2023

The Gazette’s Business Notes is a compendium of the week’s promotions, new hires, certifications, added business lines and business events, among other items, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa City and the rest of the Corridor.

Information and photos can be submitted to Business Notes by email to businessnotes@thegazette.com, or on our site at thegazette.com/businessnotes.

New hires

Three medical doctors have joined UnityPoint Health: Ramya Maturu, at UnityPoint Clinic Family Medicine-Marion; Hannah Stein, at UnityPoint Clinic Family Medicine-Mount Vernon; and Grace Hagen, at UnityPoint Clinic Pediatrics-Westdale.

GreatAmerica Financial Services has announced the following new hires: Heather Baack, quality assurance specialist; Dana Suntken, sales tax leader; Mitch Zimmerman, funding team leader; Derrick Starr, business intelligence developer II; Hiren Panchal, senior software engineer-quality automation; Nicholas Jerabek, sales support specialist; Dan Tatara, sales and operations support specialist; Haley Johnson, sales operations support specialist; Kennedy Massey, sales support, development; and Brian Hagerman, sales enablement leader.

Promotions

RSM US has promoted Abby Rickels to senior associate, audit services, in the Cedar Rapids office.

Hills Bank has promoted Patty Webster to vice president, treasury management, in its Marion office.

Appointments

The Cedar Rapids Area Association of Realtors has elected Annie Kaestner of Skogman Realty as president of its board of directors. Other new officers are Chris Terukina, Ruhl & Ruhl Realtors, president-elect, and treasurer Adam Gibbs, GLD Commercial Real Estate Advisors. Other directors are Raymond Siddell, past president, Will Brandt, Jenna Burt, Tamra Garman, Bill Grabe, Colleen McMahon, Alicia Porter, Ann Roushar, Teresa Smalley and Jay Whitaker.

Shawn Gerdes has been named chief operating officer at T&K Roofing & Sheet Metal.

Kudos

The Cedar Rapids Area Association of Realtors named Sheila King of Skogman Realty as Realtor of the Year, citing her volunteerism and leadership in local and state Realtor associations. The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Marian Flink, Skogman Realty, for her lifetime of service.

Other news

BANK ADDS INSTANT SERVICE: Bridge Community Bank, an employee-owned bank with locations in Mount Vernon, Solon and Mechanicsville, is now offering the Federal Reserve’s new instant payment service, FedNow Service. The service allows the bank to send and receive instant payments from participating institutions and also support payment activity through settlement or liquidity services. The 120-year-old bank is among the FedNow’s early adopters, CEO Bob Steen said in a news release, adding “this will change the way payments are made between people, businesses and the point of sale.”

COVENANT EXPANDS SERVICES: Covenant Family Solutions has opened an Iowa City Clinic at 52346 Mormon Trek Blvd. The clinic includes a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner and five therapists. Covenant expects to grow its team there to nine licensed mental health providers at this location. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Dec. 7.

UNITYPOINT OPENS SPINAL INJURY CLINIC: UnityPoint Health-St. Luke’s Hospital Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation has opened a Spinal Cord Injury Clinic. Elissa Zakrasek, M.D., will lead the clinic, which focuses exclusively on management of spinal cord injuries and diseases, helping patients cope with challenges related to those injuries and improve their quality of life.

MERCY MATERNITY CITED: U.S. News & World Report has named Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids as a 2024 High Performing hospital for Maternity Care (uncomplicated pregnancy), the highest award a hospital can earn in that category. This year, 46 percent of the hospitals that offer maternity care and participated in the magazine’s survey received the high-performing designation. The hospitals have C-section rates that are 26 percent lower and newborn complication rates that are 37 percent lower than the other hospitals, a magazine editor stated.

SCORE SEEKS VOLUNTEERS: SCORE is a volunteer organization looking for individuals who would be willing to help small business owners or those who want to start a business. Volunteers do not need to be retired to get involved. For more information, contact Mark at mark.hermann@scorevolunteer.org or go to score.org/eastcentraliowa.

IOWA STATE FAIR WINS AWARDS: The Iowa State Fair took home 23 awards at the International Association of Fairs and Expositions annual convention in Salt Lake City, Utah, in November. The awards were in communications, competitive exhibits, agriculture education, sponsorship and non-fair usage. The fair also was recognized as a Best of Division 5, overall winner in Agriculture, for the new Ag Art Contest for children it introduce at the fair this year. The fair competed against other fairs and festival members that had attendance of more than 1 million.